Ludwig, Moist Cr1TiKaL become co-owners of Shopify’s esports org “for the love of the game”

Ecommerce platform Shopify operates an in-house esports organization, and that firm just brought a pair of big-name creators on board. A merger between Shopify Rebellion and Moist Esports will see Charlie White (a.k.a. Moist Cr1TiKaL) and Ludwig Ahgren become co-owners of the former operation.

The combined companies will coexist under the Shopify Rebellion banner. They announced their team-up with a flashy announcement video that imagines the two parties as anime characters:

The merger comes amid growing tensions about the unprofitability of esports. Creators like Disguised Toast have tried to address that overarching issue, but a change of that magnitude is easier said than done.

In a video on his YouTube channel, White admitted that esports is a “worse investment than Hawk Tuah coin.” He claimed that Moist Esports (which brought Ahgren on board as a Co-Owner in 2023) has lost approximately $4.2 million over the past four years.

If esports is such a bad deal, then why is Moist Esports “fully merging with Shopify Rebellion,” as White put it? The man known as Moist admitted that the merger is happening “for the love of the game.” Being the owner of esports teams requires a passion for competitive gaming, which Moist, Ludwig, and the Shopify Rebellion team all share. (White also uses Shopify to power his digital merch storefront.)

Of course, the merger is not entirely about vibes. The combination of two deep-rostered lineups will allow Moist Esports to compete in games like League of Legends 

and Dota 2. That type of synergy is what initially brought the two companies together. Last year, they merged their Valorant teams to become more competitive in the first-person shooter. White also noted that Shopify Rebellion let Moist Esports use its facilities in Canada when the latter firm’s Apex Legends team needed assistance.

“Over the last year we’ve been working together both publicly (with projects like MxS Valorant) but also behind the scenes, supporting each other’s teams and program and realizing pretty quickly that we were headed the same direction on how we wanted to build in esports over the next decade and beyond,” Shopify Rebellion General Manager Jeremy Steeves said in a statement. “Coming together allows us to field more and stronger teams, invest deeper for fans, provide more to our players, and create a singular, more resilient organization over the long-term.”

That level of cooperation will help the new Shopify Rebellion stay afloat in the volatile world of esports. Recent examples of consolidation, such as GameSquare’s merger with FaZe Clan, show that gaming organizations are willing to pool resources to help offset the types of financial losses White described in his announcement video. With their high-profile owners all aboard, Moist Esports and Shopify Rebellion are the latest partners to embark on that mission together.